Sorry, love.
My finest secrets don't come quite so easily as that. 

1.  "So... What ARE you?"  "Are you bi-racial?"  "What's your ethnicity??"

One of my least favorite questions.. but I'll answer it for those of you who are looking to improv the diversity of your talent pool: I am a queer Afro-Indigenous ambiamorous woman from Northern California. My ancestry is Taino, Mexican, Haitian, Spanish, Scottish, Irish, and more.... though I very clearly favor the looks of my Puerto Rican American mother. Hope that helps! #RepresentationMatters

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2.  Are you really a full-time artist? 

The short answer is YES! I spend most of my days telecommuting for my primary writing client and expanding my horizons as a student of Sociology. When I'm finished writing and researching for the day, I carve out time to meditate, sing, dance, noodle around on social media, and typically spend 3-6 hours on body conditioning/rehearsal time per performance for each of my paying clients.

 

In addition to that, I also work as the Stage Manager for Hubba Hubba Revue. I'm still playing it safe, getting tested for COVID before/after every other gig and praying our venues will be able to stay open. It's the hardest I've ever had to work in my life... and I couldn't be more grateful to my clients and patrons for helping me keep the dream alive.

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3.  OMG, Do you make your own costumes?!

I certainly used to! Almost all of my photos these days feature items from my personal costume closet, but most things just don't fit my curvaceous new figure like they used to. My ability to create is completely funded by patronage. If you wanna see me in new gowns, corsets, stockings, lingerie and more... please feel free to click here.

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4.  What sort of dance background do you have?

While I certainly have talent as a dancer, my training began with Ballet and Martial Arts. I trained with Phares Theatre Ballet for 7 years, earned my first black belt in Korean Martial Arts when I was 12, and soon proceded to teach/compete in tournaments at the national level. A death in the family forced me to retire at age 20. After years focused solely on survival, I devoted my movement education to Burlesque, Belly Dance, Contemporary Jazz (thanks to years in musical theatre), Fire Dance, and (most recently) Argentine Tango. I took a year off during the pandemic (for obvious reasons) and have officially pickup up my movement training as of August 2021. 

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5. Wait. Martial Arts? Does that mean you're a ninja too?!

A girl can dream. While I'm nowhere near as proficient with weapons as I used to be, I do LOVE any opportunity to play/perform with my babies. I love the art of combat and thoroughly enjoy stunt training as well. If you need someone proficient with nunchacku, staff, fans, bullwhips, short swords... rest assured: You've found your girl.

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6.  Your profile says you're an actor too. Have you been in any movies yet?

While I have worked on a couple of feature films, most of the work I have done as an actor has been for web/TV commercials, shorts, and live theatre. I auditioned for my first musical at 18, immediately fell in love, and continued to pursue acting as a hobby until I stumbled upon The Stanislavski Method in college. While I certainly read about him as a curious teen, it wasn't until I actively applied those rules while acting in plays by Shakespeare, Kander & Ebb, and Sophocles... that I truly decided to take acting seriously. Only time will tell. 

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7.  Which languages (and dialects) do you speak?

I'm fluent in American English, British English, and some AAVE. I'm in the process of brushing up on my accents in time for certain gigs, and teaching myself Spanish when I can make time for that. I can sing a song or two en Español y Sindarin... because it's so much easier to familiarize with the vocal patterns through song. 

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8.  Sindarin? You mean Elvish?  What, are you some kind of NERD? 

You have no idea. I am, in reality, a huge sci-fi/epic fantasy nerd! I'm also a bit of a music nerd; specifically for music involving complex instrumentation and clever lyrics/harmonies. If we are friends, I will talk your ear off about Babylon 5 and The Lord of the Rings all the political/historical subtexts contained therein. You have been warned. 

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9.  Damn. You really put a lot of thought into this. Would you help me get MY sh*t together?  :)

No, but I can recommend somebody who can! In addition to my therapist (because yes, I'm a huge mental health advocate too), I personally invested in two different mentorship courses over the last year. These investments help you to redefine your brand and your business as working professionals so you'll have a fighting chance of surviving our beloved industry.

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- The first mentorship I chose was The Audacity Project, led by Rachel Strickland, my favorite queen of air and darkness. This program will whoop your ass, and quite literally saved my life as I struggled to stay afloat mid-2020. This 8-week intensive is perfect for aerialists and performing arts professionals of all kinds, provided you're ready to get your hands dirty and do the g*ddamn work.

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- Six months after that, I signed up for The Noire Pageant's "Abundance Is Your Birthright" Group Mentorship Program, led by the incomparable Perle Noire! This weekly course is giving me life and continues to inspire me on my spiritual path to self-discovery, while motivating me to reclaim my power as the bold and beautiful BIPOC powerhouse that I am.

 

Both are truly incredible courses of study; each designed and led by powerful women in the industry. I respect them greatly and recommend their mentorships to anyone who feels that the time has come to level the f*ck up.

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10.  I'm sold. Where can I see your performances?  HOW CAN I SUPPORT YOUR WORK?

You can buy tickets to one of my shows OR support my work here. Because community is everything to me. #ArtIsWork and we are at our very best when we move forward together. Always.

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Yours, with the warmest regards, 

Cecilia 🥀 | Qu'in de la Nöche